


X’s and O’s

by NocturnalUnicorn



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Autistic Techie (implied), Depression, Flirting, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Kissing in the Rain, Kylo Ren is Not Matt the Radar Technician, Kylux Summer Fest, M/M, Mental Institutions, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-06-19 01:52:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15499674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NocturnalUnicorn/pseuds/NocturnalUnicorn
Summary: A series of short fills for the KyluxXoxo Summer Fest. Kylux and Techienician.





	1. Rainstorm

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fill for the week four board, specifically the “End, Age and Soul” row.
> 
> Summary: They didn’t know that they’d lived a thousand lives together until one fateful night. Kylux.

  
There was a pull between them, a pull like two opposite ends of a pair of very strong magnets. Forces that they didn’t know and couldn’t see were pushing them into each other’s current. They never wanted to get close, but when they stuck, they stuck.

This time around, they were college roommates. Armitage Hux was a no-nonsense engineering student, all perfect handwriting, sensible cardigans and anxiety. Kylo Ren, whose legal name was Ben Solo, was a creative writing major and a supernova of emotional energy.

At first, they loathed each other, as they always did in at the beginning of previous ages and lives. Kylo hated Hux’s propensity towards fussy perfectionism and Hux couldn’t stand Kylo’s strong emotional outbursts and even stronger smelling dirty laundry.

Nonetheless, there was a hint of electricity in the air around them. A glance stolen after one came back from the shower, touches that were far from accidental, and a seemingly compulsive need to rile the other up in order to get into his space were all par for the course. Neither of them knew it, but this was a time-honored ritual in all of their past lives together.

Their souls didn’t re-align until they found themselves locked out of the dorm together in the midst of a late-night rainstorm. Both had spent an entire evening in the library studying for finals and putting the finishing touches on essays and short stories. They left in unison and realized their predicament in unison.

“You have got to be kidding me,” said Hux, giving the beige painted metal of the dorm door a purposeful knock. No one answered.

“Maybe you should've thought about bringing your key card on your way out, Mister Organized,” Kylo said, trying to sound nasty, but shivering through every word. He had worn a tank top and was beginning to regret it, no mater how amusing it was to see Hux’s eyes constantly wander to his biceps.

“You didn’t remember yours, either,” said Hux, putting his leather satchel down as he took his seat under the awning. Kylo sat beside him.

They sat in silence for a moment. Perhaps they were too tired to bicker any longer. Perhaps the fat drops of rain dancing under the purple glow of the street light was too mesmerizing. It was Kylo who finally broke the silence.

“Why didn’t you just switch roommates. You’ve stuck with me until the end of the year. Why?” Kylo found that the word “end” fell from his mouth as heavy as a stone. It was ending. Hux was going back to England for the summer, then he’d be back next year and would likely be someone else’s roommate. Something felt wrong about that.

“I don’t know,” replied Hux. His voice was soft, honest.

“Year’s ending,” said Kylo.

“I’m well aware of that,” said Hux, “and I know you are, too.”

A beat of silence.

Thunder crashed somewhere in the distance.

“I don’t want it to end,” admitted Kylo “I don’t want you to go, and I don’t know why.”

More silence.

Hux reached over and placed a pale hand on Kylo’s jean clad knee, an instinctive gesture half remembered from many past lives. “I can be your roommate again next year, you know.”

“Why would you do that?” asked Kylo as he tossed cold rain out of his wet black hair, “You hate me, remember.”

“I don’t,” said Hux, “I don’t think I ever could.”

The magnetic pull was back. Hux licked his full, pink lips and ran his free hand through his copper bangs. He made eye contact with Kylo, who returned it with the same intensity, and they leaned in.

When they kissed, something strange happened. Simply put, they remembered. Visions of starships, mysterious masks, and an empire all their own filled their heads. The first memory expanded into fractals if many, many more, and their wet, sloppy kiss grew into the sort shared by long-time lovers: deep and passionate, yet full of experience. When they broke their kiss, Kylo and Hux stared at one another for a long while. The rain was beginning to slow and they were still so close that their breath mingled.

“It’s you,” said Kylo, unable to muster anything above a whisper.

“I’m here, replied Hux, “I’ll always be here.”

  
That night, they slept against each other on the doorstep of the dorm, waiting to be let in the next morning. Neither could say that he minded if asked.

They never wanted to get close, but when they stuck, they stuck. 


	2. Uno

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a fill for the week five board, specifically, the “Dream, Game and Night” row. 
> 
> Summary: Psychiatric hospital stays are a bit less unpleasant when you get to play Uno with a hot guy! Techienician.
> 
> TW: Suicide is briefly touched on, as is human trafficking.

  
Mental hospitals were never a pleasant experience, especially if one had multiple stays over the course of a lifetime. For Techie, a sense of hopelessness had begun to set in and gnaw at the back if his mind. Would he ever be a normal, functioning adult who didn't want to die? Dr. Anderson always told him that even though C-PTSD was a monster of an illness, it was possible to find some peace. Techie clung to this idea so hard that if it were tangible, his pale knuckles would become completely white. He had spent ages 7-20 in forced servitude to MaMa’s gang, and Dr. Anderson called him a ”victim of human trafficking”. The phrase fit Techie as well as a wet glove a size too small would and it didn't feel like his reality; people on Law and Order: SVU were victims of this kind of crime, not Techie. If that was the case, then what was with all of the nightmares? They were so bad that his eyes were permanently red-rimmed and bloodshot from a lack of sleep.

The one silver lining to this particular hospital stay came in the form of another patient named Matt. He was a tall, broad man with unfashionable, wire-framed glasses and curly, wheat-colored hair. Techie thought he was gorgeous. Many other patients tended to avoid Matt due to his anger (”depression makes me grumpy”, he later revealed during group therapy) but Techie knew that he wasn't a threat. He only took his anger out on inanimate objects, not people, with the memorable exception of the time where he lashed out at Bradley for making fun of Techie’s tendency to stim by chewing on the ends of his sleeves. That was nice.

  
Every night, when all manner if therapy had ended, the patients would play either monopoly (with half the pieces missing) or Uno (with bent, faded cards). The first couple of nights, Techie avoided the games in favor of the adult coloring books and dull crayons on one of the cheap, plastic tables. Matt was actually the one who first dragged him into an Uno game, and Techie became addicted. On the third night of Techie’s stay, the game got to the point where only he and Matt were left playing.

”I’m gonna skip you and take another turn. Don't think I'll go easy on you just ’cause you're cute, ” said Matt as he decisively slammed down a skip card and then a red 2. He now had only one card left.

”Um, you didn't say Uno, ” said Techie.

Matt said something that sounded like ”shit” under his breath and drew two cards. Techie put down a red 3. ”Uno.”

He was able to put his last card down on his next turn.

“Okay, okay, I’ll let you have this one,” said Matt, “but next time, you’re going down.”

Techie giggled, “I’d like to see you try!”

“Could you two be any more obnoxious with your flirting?” groaned a young woman named Anne.

Techie felt his face turn three shades of red. All eyes were on him, and their gazed burned his skin like ultraviolet rays. Then he heard hyperventilating and realized that the sound was coming from him. He couldn’t run and hide in the bathroom - it was locked and he had to ask one of the hospital techs or nurses to unlock it - so he opted to go to the table a few feet away, put his head down, and use the stale plastic smell that wafted into his nostrils to try and ground himself.

Then he felt a large, warm hand on his back. He lifted his head to see Matt kneeling beside him.

“Hey,” he said, “sorry Anne decided to be a shithead.”

“I...it’s okay,” replied Techie.

There was a pregnant pause between them, and then Matt spoke, “I know it’s been like, three days, but I wanna see you again after we get out.”

“Me too,” said Techie, “we’ll have to trade phone numbers when we get our phones back.”

“Yeah,” said Matt, “wanna kiss you so bad.”

“Me too,” said Techie, “but the techs.”

“They’d have a heart attack if we started making out,” said Matt, “when we get out and get some privacy, maybe.”

“I’ll dream about it,” said Techie with a grin.

They played Uno again until the hospital mandated bedtime at 10:30. That night, Techie dreamed of kissing Matt. Maybe life was worth a try, after all.


End file.
